


New Configurations

by FunkyinFishnet



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Canon, Collars, Dom/sub, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 12:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4918789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunkyinFishnet/pseuds/FunkyinFishnet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean-Eric Vergne becomes the first F1 Dom to collar two submissives concurrently, or at least the first one to go public about it. A reporter meets with Daniel and Daniil to get their side of the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Configurations

**Author's Note:**

> Could be slotted in alongside the other Dom/sub F1 fics I've written but also works alone. The reporter & photographer mentioned at the beginning are fictional. Also if anyone fancies betaing my F1 fic, I'd love to hear from you :) Drop me a comment.

 

 

 

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was the surprise of last season, winning the two races that Mercedes didn't and shocking everyone with his superiority over world champion teammate Sebastian Vettel. Ricciardo has also been part of one of the paddock's strongest relationships for over a year now, wearing ex-Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne's collar, but during the latter half of the 2014 season, Vergne publicly revealed that he had recently collared a second sub, Toro Rosso driver Daniil Kvyat. Vergne and his submissives have been at the centre of a media storm ever since. Much has been said about the appropriateness of Vergne's actions, about Kvyat's age and the power that Vergne now apparently wields with two collared Red Bull submissives, especially since he is now a Ferrari employee following Red Bull's decision not to renew his contract and to promote Kvyat up to Red Bull to race alongside Ricciardo.

 

As the new season approaches, Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat talk to me about their lives as teammates and submissives, with and without their Dom.

 

_Story: Lucy Matthews  
Photographs: Rory Barker._

 

Daniel Ricciardo greets me with his wide trademark smile. It seems spontaneous, like he can't help it. It could be because of the glorious sunny weather Australia is currently experiencing, it certainly can't be because of his Dom's absence. Jean-Eric Vergne, who Ricciardo almost exclusively refers to as 'Jev', is away this week working with Ferrari as their test driver. While this means Jean-Eric still attends many F1 races, he's also racing in Formula E and so is often away from his two submissives. It can't be easy for any of them.

 

Ricciardo doesn't try to hide his grimace, it looks oddly alien on his face, as Kvyat, sat close to him, nudges a knee close. Kvyat is the more obviously contained of the two, as physically subtle as Ricciardo isn't. They make an unexpected pairing, which has led some people to claim that their dual collaring by Vergne is nothing more than a Red Bull publicity stunt, an attempted media misdirection to distract the press away from the state of the current Red Bull car, said to be in no shape to challenge Ferrari this year, let alone Mercedes. Ricciardo openly laughs at the idea and Kvyat smiles briefly.

 

“I'm laughing but that's actually a really offensive story,” Ricciardo tells me. “Like, the only reason Jev collared Dany is because he was told to. Red Bull has always been upfront about the car. Is it in a great place? Not as great as Mercedes' is, obviously, but I think we can get some podiums this year.”

 

Kvyat nods and when I ask what it's like to be teammates and therefore also professionally competing against his fellow submissive, he offers a considered answer and a quietly deprecating smile, “Is unusual, yes, but we are not personal at the track. We drive for the same goal, just like everyone else, and we drive fair so it's no problem.”

 

There's certainly been no signs of any awkward rivalry between them, which is no doubt a relief to Red Bull after how painful things got between their former drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Certainly it gives Red Bull an advantage over Mercedes whose drivers are clearly still unhappy with one another, their childhood friendship now fractured and bitter. Ricciardo and Kvyat have been nothing but impressive since Kvyat was announced as the newest Red Bull driver. During our interview, they seem entirely comfortable together. They frequently touch and exchange glances that hint at inside jokes and genuine affection.

 

It's clear that they're both sick of people expecting them to hate each other, battling for their Dom's affections. Ricciardo rolls his eyes and Kvyat frowns and says, “It's not a good myth.”

 

He's clearly bothered by it and Ricciardo grabs his hand, “It's such a slap in the face to all of us, Jean-Eric would be a shitty Dom if he caused that kind of situation, and we'd be pretty terrible submissives if we behaved like that. The fact is, all three of us are in a really good place right now, together.”

 

Ricciardo is as pleasingly candid as fellow Aussie Mark Webber, though notably doesn't possess Webber's habit of setting his employer's teeth on edge with his public bluntness. Ricciardo is happy to admit though that he couldn't see this relationship working if it'd been anyone other than Kvyat wearing Vergne's second collar. It's evident that Kvyat is impressively mature for his age – he's still only twenty and this is his first collaring – and despite the persistent snide rumours from some corners of the press, there's been no actual evidence that he's trying to usurp Ricciardo. According to Ricciardo, Kvyat was the one who initially broached the subject with Vergne.

 

Kvyat's shyness makes an appearance at this point, it's a character trait often mistaken for a wooden or over-rehearsed media manner. His hand is intertwined with Ricciardo's and there's something very endearing about the picture the two submissives make together as Kvyat shrugs slightly, his gaze dipping as he explains.

 

“I could see strong how Jean-Eric and Daniel were. So when we are halfway through last season, I know I like Jean-Eric and that this could affect Red Bull. I do not want this and I not want to cause problems for Jean-Eric and Daniel. So I tell Jean-Eric.”

 

Ricciardo's smile is softer here than the grin we're all used to. “You've got balls, mate, seriously.”

 

This story doesn't seem uncomfortable for either of them, even when Ricciardo admits that he was worried and put on edge, even hurt, when Vergne told him that unexpectedly he had come to care a lot for Kyvat, definitely beyond friendship, and in fact was thinking of collaring him. Kvyat squeezes Ricciardo's hand at this point and the two of them look at each other in a way that speaks of some no-doubt tumultuous times for them both. Ricciardo goes on to say that the fact Vergne didn't even begin a relationship with Kyvat at that point, regardless of Ricciardo's worries, demonstrates what a good Dom Vergne is. Instead, Vergne asked Ricciardo to get to know Kvyat.

 

“He could have pushed or just steamrolled past me but he didn't,” Ricciardo continues, the love he has for his Dom very clear on his face. “I am so grateful for that.”

 

Kvyat doesn't look upset by any of this and says that he has come to appreciate the time that Vergne took to consider such a momentous step. According to official records, Vergne hasn't ever previously collared more than one submissive at a time and he told Kvyat that since it would be Kvyat's first collaring, Vergne didn't want to mishandle the situation or cause long-term problems for Kyvat. It's clear from both submissives that they view Vergne as a highly-considerate Dom.

 

Both of them smile when I ask what they thought of each other back then. Kvyat is talkative about Ricciardo, making his fellow submissive smile when he says that Ricciardo was “a role model to me. He was and is a successful racing driver, he has won races, and he is a submissive. Some people, they say this is not possible but Daniel proves it is.”

 

Ricciardo nudges him but Kvyat continues, saying that he also admired Ricciardo and Vergne's relationship, how Vergne talked about his submissive, how he made so much time for Ricciardo despite the insane busyness of F1 and how strongly he supported Ricciardo's career. Kvyat might be a new driver to F1 but he has met a lot of Doms in the racing world due to his success in other formulas and karting and says he has encountered behaviour that quite often put him off seeking out any kind of relationship with anyone. He is firm in saying that when he initially talked to Vergne, he was not seeking a collaring. His concern had been only for ensuring that Vergne or Ricciardo weren't negatively affected and that Red Bull too did not suffer.

 

“Jev appreciated that,” Ricciardo picks up the story here.

 

He says that he didn't know Kvyat back then, only in passing as Toro Rosso and Red Bull personnel generally stay separate. But he'd liked Kvyat's professionalism and had been impressed by his attitude, especially in someone so young and new to F1. Ricciardo had liked what Vergne had had to say about Kvyat as well.

 

“I could tell he liked and admired Dany.”

 

There's clearly more to this story but both Ricciardo and Kvyat refuse to say any more, only that they got to know each other and that eventually Vergne collared Kvyat.

 

“Some things stay private.” Ricciardo is firm.

 

Kvyat is in agreement, “It was an important time for all of us.”

 

And that's all he says. There's a lot of theories about their relationship with Vergne – that Kvyat is too young, that Vergne took advantage of him, that it's not fair on either submissive having to 'share' a Dom, that Vergne now has too much influence over the F1 field. It's clear that this bothers the submissives and probably bothers their Dom too. Ricciardo also doesn't seem to like the way people phrase their relationship.

 

“It's not something that's divided up, you know? Jev takes care of us both, I've got absolutely no complaints and neither does Red Bull.”

 

It's true that Red Bull have never shown any anger or even annoyance with how their drivers' relationship has evolved. Once the news broke of Kvyat's collaring, they released a short but firm statement - 'Jean-Eric has always had the respect of the Red Bull garage. He, Daniel and Daniil have Red Bull's full support.' It can't hurt that Red Bull have garnered a lot of free publicity out of this.

 

“But Jean-Eric does not drive for them anymore,” Kvyat points out. “It is strange I think that people believe he collared me to advance his career.”

 

Indeed, Jean-Eric's contract is now with Ferrari, his collaring of Kvyat certainly didn't gain him any career traction with his former employer. Naturally this has meant other rumours have grown; of his jealousy of his submissives' success, claiming that he will be command them to drive badly and even give up a seat for him. Ricciardo and Kvyat are both clearly offended by the idea.

 

“It's insulting. I remember Jenson being accused of the same thing when he collared Sebastian, I don't know why people ever believe that'd happen. Jev's completely supportive of both our careers. He always says he wants us both to end up as world champions.”

 

Kvyat smiles when Ricciardo says this. The fondness between them is very clear and it's easy to see why Kvyat might have found what he needs in this relationship. Vergne provides the grounding of a, by all accounts, strong well-respected Dom who isn't looking to micromanage his submissives' careers, while Ricciardo has already successfully made the move from Toro Rosso to Red Bull himself so can guide Kvyat past potential pitfalls. As a fellow submissive, he can offer insight and interaction that Vergne can't.

 

While some collarings involving more than one submissive seem to produce a sibling-like relationship, Ricciardo and Kvyat show every sign of being more than just friends. They're often seen hand in hand in the paddock and earlier this week photographs emerged of the two of them sharing a sun lounger by a Monaco pool (see page six).

 

Ricciardo smiles, his happy gaze flickering over Kvyat once more, “Jev and me, we've had longer together. He and Dany were at Toro Rosso at the same time, I love what they have together. Dany and I are still learning each other and we're enjoying ourselves, I know I am.”

 

Kvyat blushes but cants towards Ricciardo in a way that speaks volumes. It's fascinating to watch them together, particularly since there's been constant murmurs, both in and out of the media, that not-so-covertly disapprove of this one-Dom-two-submissives relationship. It's something that Ricciardo's old friend Mark Webber has publicly spoken out about.

 

“Dan's a great submissive and Jev handles him beautifully. If Jev didn't think he could give two submissives what they both need, then he wouldn't have collared them. From what I know of Jev and Dan, Dany is a very lucky boy.”

 

Which brings me back to my very first observation – it can't be easy for Ricciardo and Kvyat; Vergne being away so frequently because of his Ferrari commitments, especially when there's constant speculation about them in the press while at the track, the media are more interested in Ricciardo and Kvyat's private life than their racing.

 

Kvyat nods at this, “Is not easy, is why I am glad we have each other.”

 

Ricciardo emphatically agrees, “I can't imagine how hard it is for someone like Fernando, when Mark's away so often. We're incredibly lucky to work together.”

 

There are of course the two new Toro Rosso drivers, though as noted earlier, as Red Bull's premier drivers, Ricciardo and Kvyat don't spend much time at Toro Rosso. Kvyat ventures that Verstappen is 'polite and always observing, learning, whenever he visits Red Bull. He...absorbs? Absorbs all the time, this is good.' Ricciardo agrees, likening Verstappen to Sebastian Vettel in that regard. Both say they've spent less time with Sainz Jr, as he's a young Dom and still finding his feet in the sport and so is something of an unknown quantity to them.

 

“I hear good things from the team,” reports Riccciardo. “They like his attitude. Maybe when Jev's around some more, we'll get to know Carlos a bit.”

 

Ricciardo says that Vergne hopes to spend time with them this weekend and now has to put up with endless stories multiplying whenever he even talks to another submissive. Ricciardo teases Kvyat about this – 'Look what you've done, Dany!' - but Kvyat doesn't seem uncomfortable with the teasing, he smiles and murmurs something in Russian that makes Ricciardo laugh. They are a picture of contentment, despite the pressures of the spotlight and the constantly circling tabloids, ever eager for problems to appear in this unusual F1 relationship.

 

It isn't easy, but it certainly looks close when the pair of them leave together, hands interlinked, collars snug around their necks. After all, they have Red Bull and Ferrari's support and some impressive 2014 on-track performances that certainly gave the critics very little ammunition. As they head off, a phone rings and both of their expressions light up, revealing the caller's identity. Some things **are** easy – like spotting how very much these submissives miss their Dom and how attached they are to one another. When Ricciardo answers his phone, he doesn't let go of Kvyat's hand.

 


End file.
